Blogging about what I'm cooking. Not as much deep-fried stuff anymore, but hey, it's a catchy name.

Quinoa "Mac and Cheese" with Spinach

When I first saw this recipe, I was pretty excited. A healthy version of mac and cheese? Sign me up! I changed a couple of things, mainly because Sarah doesn't like goat cheese so I used different cheeses instead. Overall, it just seemed a little bland to both of us. It has potential, I'm just not quite sure what I need to add to make it go from ok to great. I'm sure I'll try again though, maybe with some chipotle and/or more cheese.

Quinoa "Mac and Cheese" with SpinachIngredients:

1 cup quinoa

3 Tablespoons olive oil

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup grated cheese

Directions:

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the quinoa, and cook until the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain in a mesh strainer, and rinse until cold; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in the sunflower seeds, and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic softens and the aroma mellows, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the cooled quinoa and spinach; cook and stir until the quinoa is hot, and the spinach has wilted.

Stir in the lemon juice, and all but a pinch of the cheese.

Stir until the cheese has melted.

Serve right away, sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

Notes:I used one part montery jack cheese and two parts sharp cheddar. I also used roasted sunflower seeds because it was what we had around. For the first few steps, make sure you have at least 4 cups of water in the pot.